In the Atacama desert astrobiologists were looking for life in the driest place in the world. The average annual rainfall is one millimeter, and decades can go by between rain events. Nothing seems to live there including animals, plants and lichen. The place seems so unchanged that it seems comparable to the surface of Mars. It turns out that on the ground there are small rock formations made of halite and these rocks are filled with a novel species of photosynthetic bacteria. These rocks absorb moisture from the atmosphere and small pockets of liquid brine form. And because because halite is translucent, it allows sunlight in for photosynthesis while blocking harmful UV rays. The researchers say this may help them when looking for life on Mars.
While I'm not sure wether this will help looking for like on Mars, it is an interesting discovery of the places life can be found.
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